Senior Lib Dem calls for Wirral's 'bin tax' surcharge to be refunded

A SENIOR Liberal Democrat has called on the council to refund the garden waste collection fees additional “digital surcharge”.

Oxton Cllr Stuart Kelly claims the fee – which sees those who sign up for garden waste collections online receive a £5 discount, paying just £30 instead of the standard £35 – is unfair on those who do not have internet access and impacts heaviest on those can least afford it.

A notice of motion calling on the authority to review the surcharge has been submitted and will be discussed by full council when they meet on Monday.

Cllr Kelly said: “Last year this Labour administration made the decision to charge for garden waste collection, it was not a popular decision.

“I was one of those who objected and used my vote to try and block the charge in its entirety. But if we are to have a charge the least it should be is fair.

“When the Labour administration made their decision to charge, they opted to operate different levels of charge for those who subscribed on line than for those who did not - effectively introducing a digital surcharge for households with no access to the internet.”

“It is worth also noting that the bin tax is the only chargeable service that operates such an unfair ‘digital surcharge’.”

Cllr Kelly added: “I asked for a breakdown, to better understand the impact of this differential in different parts of the borough. Residents from every ward have subscribed and are represented in the figures.

“Communities with the highest proportion of people subscribing in a way that they must pay the additional ‘digital surcharge’ match, almost exactly, those communities already identified by Wirral Council as the most deprived.”

“I would also be willing to bet that the extra falls heaviest on older members of the community who may be unable to deal with their garden waste without a collection being available.”

But Cllr Bernie Mooney, Wirral’s cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said the discount for those signing up online is to encourage people to use the “automated” service.

She said: “The more people who sign up online, the less the administrative burden is on council staff allowing us to keep the costs of the scheme as low as it can be. 86% of the 34,000 current subscribers did sign up online and paid just £30 for the service, so clearly this approach has paid off and we have kept the charges the same this year.

“Signing up online is incredibly quick and straightforward. Even if people do not have direct access to a computer personally, Wirral libraries have publicly-accessible machines where residents can get 30 minutes free internet access.

“We are absolutely committed to promoting digital inclusion in Wirral, particularly in the most deprived parts of the borough and I’m sure library staff would be able to assist anyone who had any difficulties accessing this service online, as well as signposting them towards organisations who would be able to provide more structured basic IT skills training.”

Council leader Phil Davies added: “The reason we are having to charge for this service is the unprecedented cuts by the Tory/Lib Dem coalition in Wirral Council’s budget which totals £127m between 2010 and 2016 – a 57% cut in Wirral’s grant.

“Cllr Kelly would be better spending his time lobbying the minister to reduce these disastrous cuts.”

"Council leader Phil Davies added: “The reason we are having to charge for this service ..."

(yawn) We know the rest. Trotting it out every opportunity doesn't make it true.

The reason you are having to charge for the service is the £££millions you have wasted over the years.

Never any shortage of money when it comes to spending on things for yourselves, is there!

"Council leader Phil Davies added: “The reason we are having to charge for this service ..."
(yawn) We know the rest. Trotting it out every opportunity doesn't make it true.
The reason you are having to charge for the service is the £££millions you have wasted over the years.
Never any shortage of money when it comes to spending on things for yourselves, is there!JohnON

Last year I paid £30 For brown bin collection as, apparently, I did not read the small print (wherever it was and it must have been "small"). This year garden waste that cannot be composted or put in the wormery is going in the green bin! I hate - no "DETEST" - being ripped off!!!!!

Last year I paid £30 For brown bin collection as, apparently, I did not read the small print (wherever it was and it must have been "small"). This year garden waste that cannot be composted or put in the wormery is going in the green bin! I hate - no "DETEST" - being ripped off!!!!!keen gardener

Apart from those misguided and misled who chose to pay for a service the council is under obligation to provide, less that 30,000 people elected to pay for whatever reason to have their Brown Bins emptied, that means they paid twice.

There are still 88,000 Brown Bins paid for by the rate payers, who never asked for them in the first place sitting out there doing absolutely nothing, and one day our Local Looney Council will no doubt try and charge you to collect them and scrap them, or as they would say Recycle the plastic.
In the meantime the Local Loony Council are paying with your money to dump thousands of tonnes of garden waste along with other rubbish into landfill sites, damaging the Ozone layer even more than before.
Even now they are contemplating charging to empty all the other coloured bins that are sitting on your property or out in the street in many locations, just to prove how useless they really can be.
Remember this when you vote, If you want more of the same then elect the same donkeys all over again, no matter what Political Party they represent.

Apart from those misguided and misled who chose to pay for a service the council is under obligation to provide, less that 30,000 people elected to pay for whatever reason to have their Brown Bins emptied, that means they paid twice.
There are still 88,000 Brown Bins paid for by the rate payers, who never asked for them in the first place sitting out there doing absolutely nothing, and one day our Local Looney Council will no doubt try and charge you to collect them and scrap them, or as they would say Recycle the plastic.
In the meantime the Local Loony Council are paying with your money to dump thousands of tonnes of garden waste along with other rubbish into landfill sites, damaging the Ozone layer even more than before.
Even now they are contemplating charging to empty all the other coloured bins that are sitting on your property or out in the street in many locations, just to prove how useless they really can be.
Remember this when you vote, If you want more of the same then elect the same donkeys all over again, no matter what Political Party they represent.Hugo1008

Councillors may best be elected on their individual records and Cabinet voted by the 66 councillors. Really of late no party has achieved votes of 90.000 plus which would be a simple majority. Party whips with Labour councillors duly obeying the Leaders' calls represent the opposite of the voters' wishes and a hijacking of democracy

There should be no place for political parties in local government.
Councillors may best be elected on their individual records and Cabinet voted by the 66 councillors. Really of late no party has achieved votes of 90.000 plus which would be a simple majority. Party whips with Labour councillors duly obeying the Leaders' calls represent the opposite of the voters' wishes and a hijacking of democracyhobroW